A Cat on its Web, a Mouse on its Perch
by karategirl666
Summary: Clint Barton is on a mission to hunt down one of the most illusive spys of all time. The intel he has tells him she's a merciless monster who deserves nothing but a painful death. Who he finds is someone very different. Instead of going in for the kill, he makes a different call and engages on one of the greatest adventures of his life. action adventure hurt comfort comedy
1. Cat and Mouse

A Cat on its Web, a Mouse on its Perch

By: Karategirl666

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel or any of its characters.

So… My hand slipped and I wrote this. Also severely dyslexic and I don't use betas because two betas have stolen my work and posted it as their own. So I'm done with that.

I KNOW HER NAME IS NOT NATALIA THAT COMES UP LATER IN THE STORY

-o-

Clint sat up on his perch his eyes scanning the dilapidated industrial neighborhood he was seated above. He was waiting for his mark. A mark he had waited some time to catch even a glimpse of. He had been on her tail for months and every time he was about to catch sight over her, she would slip away. They always found her again, of course. No one could hide from the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division for long. What Clint found interesting was that his target was not found out from her own doing but found out because of the numerous people who employed her. It seemed her bosses weren't nearly as careful as she was when it came to her location or jobs.

"_Any luck?" _ he sighed heavily as Coulsons voice flooded into his ear.

"I asked for radio silence." Clint said quietly.

"Then why don't I silence it for you." He froze as the radio was ripped from his ear and shoulder pad before being tossed aside. He felt the cold barrel of a gun at the back of his head and couldn't help but laugh. This whole time he thought he had been the cat, turned out he had been the mouse.

"Natalia Romanov." He said and he felt her stiffen behind him.

"I haven't been Natalia Romanov in years." She said her eyes scanning the back of his head, wondering just where she was going to put the first bullet hole.

"How'd you spot me?" He asked, and she found it interesting that she could hear amusement in his voice.

"Well you've been on every roof for the past sixteen cities I've been in… Kind of hard not to spot you… That's a lot of roof tops." her voice was light but had a deadly edge he couldn't ignore. "What's your name?" His jaw clenched and he could practically hear her smirk at his silence. "Now that's not fair you seem to think you know my name when I don't know your name."

"We're spy's, we don't play fair."

"Very true…" She wished to see his face and wondered why he hadn't turned to face her. Maybe it was the gun held to the back of the head but she didn't plan on shooting him she enjoyed their cat and mouse game too much to end it after only six months. Besides he wasn't much of a threat to her. Not as much as she was to him. "Well your boys must be riding in." she said looking to the skies. "I'll try not to embarrass you too much." She slammed the butt of her gun across the back of his head and he instantly slumped forward. Natalia tilted her head she wanted to kick him onto his back to see his face but she wondered if it was best to wait, to keep some mystery in their cat and mouse game. Her eyes looked to an arrow and she kneeled picking it up along with a bow. "Funny weapon…" she said to herself before setting it back down. She smiled as she looked over the arrow in hand before standing up straight flipping over the railing and sliding down the metal roof where she dropped down onto a street. "I wish I knew his name…" She said softly as she tucked the arrow into her jacket.

-o-

"Wakey wakey morning bakey." Clint slowly opened his eyes to see Coulson sitting over the top of him.

"Oh hell…" He muttered his hand going to the back of his head which was pounding.

"She got the jump on you ay?"

"Shut up." He growled as he slowly sat up.

"Hey don't worry… I'm sure she's hard to handle all sixteen years and 120 pounds of her."

"Shut up Coulson!"

"Right then…" He got up and headed out of the hotel room. Clint sighed as he looked around. When he had gotten the job of taking out Natalia Romanov he knew it would be tricky. She was a stunning example of the word assassin even if she was only sixteen. When he saw her age on her file he hadn't wanted the job then he saw her kill count which was in the triple digits and that was just the ones they knew about. His phone gave a ring and he looked over at it before sighing and picking it up.

"Hello."

"What the fuck Barton." He cringed at Fury's voice.

"I know sir."

"No you don't know! How did a sixteen year old get a jump on one of my best agents? I'm a laughing fucking stock Barton!"

"She's…" he shrugged as he looked off. "Crafty sir."

"Crafty!" he jumped again moving the phone away. "Well you better get right fucking crafty too mothafucker because you only got one more shot at this!" The phone line went dead and he slowly looked to the door frame where Coulson stood.

"How angry is he?" Coulson asked.

"He called me a motherfucker."

"Oooh…" he said. "The last guy he called that ended up in-."

"Alaska I know…" He got out of bed. "Do we have her next location?"

"Not yet but it should be soon…"

-o-

Natalia sat on the park bench looking out at the children who played on the jungle gym. She envied the children who played and laughed freely with no care in the world. She had never gotten the chance to be so free in her childhood. She became an adult at seven after all. A group of girls her own age walked by laughing as they held cotton candy in hand. As they walked by they glanced at her and instantly started to laugh more. Teenage girls had a way of spotting outcasts of society, she knew this well because she used it often in her line of work.

_Work… Which is why I'm here… _She stood slowly and started to walk, her target now in sight. This was one of the easiest jobs she had gotten in some time but it was also one of the most devastating. What she was about to do was going to scar a child for life. As she passed by a man in a long black coat she stuck him in the back with a syringe. She was so fast he didn't even seem to notice as she walked by tossing the syringe aside as she did. She heard a thud behind her as the man dropped dead to the ground and closed her eyes when she heard a shrill scream of a child.

"Papa!"

"He was a bad man…" she whispered to herself. "A bad, bad man Natalia."

-o-

Clint smiled as he climbed through the air vents of a posh Paris hotel. They had tracked Natalia down once more. She had used a signature poison on an aristocrat just days before in a park. After killing someone he had learned that instead of skipping off to another job she took a few days for herself. He un screwed an air vent and caught it before it could drop down onto a marble floor of a bathroom. He quickly looked all around before getting out of the vent and screwing the cover back on. He heard a click and quickly ran to a closet tucking himself inside.

It wasn't the best vantage point but it would do. The door to the bathroom opened and he tilted his head as he got his first up close look at the infamous Natalia Romanov. His eyes widened slightly as he looked through the crack of the door. Her hips swayed in a long purple skin tight backless gown. He knew there was no other sixteen year old in the world that could pull off a dress like that while looking like a woman instead of an awkward young lady. He had never noticed it before but she had long flowing locks of red hair that waved down her back in an elegant manner. This was a much softer side of the assassin then he had ever seen.

Natalia sighed softly as she walked to her sink and looked herself over in the mirror. She had just killed another target, her last of that year in Paris. She had gone to the opera with him and hadn't even got to see the final act because he had gotten so handsy with her. She had been forced to snap his neck before she could find out the end. She made a note to go to the opera on her own sometime, not during a job.

Clint tilted his head. He could shoot her with an arrow right then. He could. But there was something in her eyes as she looked over her own reflection that made him stop. Behind her green eyes there was a sweet sadness one he couldn't miss. She sighed softly as she bowed her head and stood back tilted her head as she raised her hands to her face. She then turned her hands and looked them over with a small sad smile.

"What old handles this vase holds…" she whispered to herself softly before looking back at herself in the mirror. She took a moment to herself before her eyes caught sight of the vent in her bathroom there below it on the stark white wall was a smudge. A smudge that hadn't been there before. She turned around and casually leaned against the marble counter as her eyes went to the floor below the vent were small tiny near useable paint chippings lay. With one movement she pulled a gun from her thigh holster beneath her dress and pointed it at the closet. Clint's eyes closed tightly as he sighed heavily. He should have killed her right when he had the chance. "Emerge bird man." She said and he smiled as he slowly came out of the closet.

"Actually it's Hawkeye." He said his bow and arrow still pointed at her. "I'd like to know how you came up with bird man though?"

"Because you're always up on a perch somewhere." She said with a shrug still leaning against the marble counter. "This is different though… You within my quarters." It was at the word quarters that he heard a trace of a Russian accent that made his ears twitch.

"Thought I'd try something new." He said with a simple shrug.

"Your first mistake…" She said her tone turning deadly. "Stick with what works."

"Well what works doesn't work with you." She smiled softly.

"I'm flattered."

"You should be…"

"Can I ask a question?" she asked moving away from the counter her gun still aimed. "Why a bow and arrow. It seems such a primitive weapon to use." His shoulders squared.

"Not so primitive anymore… It has tech behind it."

"Still…"

"Arrows are more personal then bullets." She thought about it for a moment before nodding.

"Makes a lot of sense." She said with a smile.

"Glad you think so."

"I have made a study of one of your arrows… They are good for distance but not so good up close."

"I knew you took one of my arrows." He said, surprised at himself for not being irritated at her theft.

"My point is I am at an advantage." She said and he tilted his head. "While you are at a disadvantage. I can dodge that arrow from here and you know it. Also before that arrow leaves the bow I will have pulled my trigger and a bullet will have gone through your left eye."

"Why the left?" He asked with a smile. "Is my right prettier and you want to leave it untouched?"

"What I'm trying to say is let's put down the weapons and bring this cat and mouse game to a proper climax with a hand to hand show down?" She started to put her gun down and he tilted his head.

"You trust me." He said trying to keep the surprise from his tone.

"I trust no one but you seem to be a gentleman when it comes to fighting so I know you will not shoot me if I am unarmed… You didn't before when I first walked in after all…"

"That's because I didn't know you had a gun on you."

"My point…" she tossed the gun to his feet. "Exactly." she stepped on the back of her dress and rocked her hips forward splitting a seam up the side of her dress giving her more room to move. Clint looked at the exposed leg for a moment noting that no sixteen year old should possess such stems before laying his bow and arrows down. "Shall we dance?" she asked before rushing at him. He blocked her high roundhouse kick before throwing a back fist which she caught before twisting out his arm and nailing him in the side with a stiff punch.

"You think we're dancing?" he asked.

"That's what we've been doing for months." She said slamming her elbow across his face making him laugh. It had been a long time since anyone had gotten him across the face. As they moved together sparring equally Clint realized he was really enjoying himself. He had never met someone who could match him when it came to fighting. He never expected when he did meet his match it would be in the form of a teenage girl.

He stumbled back against the marble sink with a laugh as she threw a spinning side kick to his chest before flipping up into the air and wrapping her legs around his neck. He laughed more when she flipped backwards causing him to flip forwards and land on his back her sitting on his chest pinning his arms down. She was an agile fighter something he had never gotten to see before.

"You're really going to pin me? I'm like twice your size." He said and she quirked an eyebrow with a smile before he flipped her onto her back and pinned her to the ground. She was finding the fight most entertaining, she hadn't even thought of killing him once so far.

"You should never leave yourself so open…" She said.

"I'm not open."

"Your legs are." Before she could slam her knee between his legs they clenched catching the knee in it's tracks.

"Now that wouldn't be very fair. Though you did almost have me."

"Who says I don't?" her hand slipped from beneath his pin and she elbowed him across the face knocking her off his body before she grabbed onto him and threw him out side of the bathroom onto the floor of her bedroom. He rolled up onto his feet and stumbled back as she rushed up to him and kicked him in the chest with both her feet. She slammed him down onto the ground before flipping up to a standing position where Clint was laughing. She tilted her head, she was having a grand time but she would never laugh out loud.

"You're good, you're very good." He said with no spite or sarcasm.

"You as well." She said. "Shall we continue?" He looked at her to see she was smiling ready to continue the fight.

"First may I ask a question?"

"Yes I asked you one. Seems only fair you get a question." She said not putting her guard down.

"Why are you doing this?" She tilted her head.

"You don't wish to fight me?" She was a little put out. She thought he was having a good time.

"Honestly?" he asked. "No. As fun as it is no. You're a sixteen year old girl what are you doing living this lifestyle?"

"Sixteen?" she laughed. "I am seventeen going on eighteen. I turn eighteen in a month. Seems your intel was old. Very old.

"That's still young. You shouldn't be traveling the world assassinating people or fighting other assassins in your hotel room."

"Then what should I be doing?" she asked perplexed.

"Having fun." He said like it was obvious.

"I am having fun. This fight is very entertaining." He laughed.

"Yes but that isn't normal teenage fun."

"What does teenage fun consist of?" She asked.

"Well it depends on the teenager."

"Then I am this teenager and this is my fun…" He smiled as he slowly looked her over.

"You don't have to do this Natalia." Her jaw clenched and he instantly realized he had hit a nerve.

"You do not know what I have to do… It's killed or be killed, eat or don't eat."

"Is someone making you be an assassin?" He asked carefully.

"Not for long time…" She said with a haunted expression. "I freed myself… I am my own boss now. I take the jobs I want. When I want. No one makes me do anything."

"You really wanted to kill a twelve year old boy in Moscow four years ago?" her eyes narrowed.

"I saved his life." She said her voice dripping with venom.

"Seems like you ended it."

"You have no idea what was in store for him… Besides I had no choice in that job…"

"How long have you been your own boss?"

"That was my last job with them…" she said.

"So that priest in England you wanted that job?"

"I do what I have to do to eat." She said clenching her jaw.

"You can't do anything else?"

"This…" she looked off and he had heard it a slight emotional wavering in her voice. She looked back to him after sighing. "This is all I know."

"Come work with me and my agency."

"What?" she asked surprised.

"Come work with me and my people…"

"No."

"Why not? It's a great gig. You don't get paid by gig but by week and the money is good more than good really I could quit today and live off it for the rest of my life… Also we have medical. Dental Natalia we have dental! I don't know about you but I'm constantly getting the teeth knocked from my skull."

"You have dental?" she asked and he nodded with a smile.

"Good, great dental. Also you get to quit when you want, pick the jobs that you want, we also get paid vacation."

"You were sent to kill me by this agency… Who says they will have me?"

"We're allowed to recruit targets if their worth it… You would be the first one… But you're very worth it."

"It took me long time to be free of an agency… I will not take two steps back…"

"Just think about it." he said as he walked past her.

"Where are you going?" She asked her guard still up.

"Getting my bow and Arrow you slipped away again." He said.

"But I am right here." She said tilting her head as she followed him into the bathroom.

"No you definitely got away… Look if you change your mind about the offer I'm sure you'll have no problem finding me."

"You're bosses won't kill you or torture you for not taking me down?"

"That's not the agency's style…" he said. "Do me a favor though?" he asked turning to look at her.

"Seeing as you are doing me one, sure."

"Shoot me in the shoulder."

"Okay." She flipped her gun up into her hand and shot him in the shoulder.

"Holly shit!" he yelled spinning away from the impact.

"You told me to shoot you so I shot you." She said.

"You could have given me warning!" He howled in pain.

"Warning was in you asking…" She said simply.

"Jesus Christ I'm using the front door…" he said brushing past her and she smiled before following him out.

"Hawkeye?" he stopped just as he was about to reach the door and turned to look at her. "What is your real name?"

"You won't find that out unless you join the team." With that he walked out and she smiled softly as the door closed.


	2. On His Tail

Hawkeye walked through the busy marketplace. It had been four months since his interesting run in with Natalia Romanov. Though he was sure he had seen her since then. Many times out of the corner of his eye he swore he had seen her signature red hair. Sometimes he thought it paranoia sometimes he wrote it up to wishful thinking. He found himself late at night or during boring moments of missions thinking of her and their show down. A few times he would touch the scar her bullet had left and smile fondly at the memory it brought.

"_How's it going?" _Coulsons voice came in through his ear piece.

"Fine, target in sight, I'm going to head up to the roof-."

"_As always…" _

"And take him out…" Clint continued with a smirk. "We may get back early."

"_Good I have a date with a violinist." _

"What is it with you and string players? First the guitar player in India, now the violinist in London…"

"_They're fingers are limber."_ Clint laughed.

"I'm calling for radio silence check in every hour." He said before turning his radio off. He watched as his target a tall lengthy terrorist by the name of Ikav entered a dilapidated building. Clint smiled as he quickly scaled up a fire escape to the top of an adjoining building. He smiled when he instantly saw his target through the many windows the building across the way held. He checked his watch to see it was just eight at night. They really were going to go home early. He stretched out his bow and narrowed his eyes. Just as he was about to fire he spotted a familiar face chained and bruised to a chair beside his target. He sat up instantly his eyes going wide as panic struck him.

"Natalia…" he said softly before a sudden blow hit the back of his head and he slumped forward. "Not again…" he muttered before he was knocked out completely.

-o-

Natalia sighed as her head reeled from a back fist across her face. The terrorist by the name of Ikav was really doing a number on her but she was finding out all she needed to. She was glad her and Clint's travels and jobs had lined up. Though she still wasn't sure who his target was it was nice to earn some money while tailing him.

_Focus on your interrogation. _

"You thought you were so clever trying to come at me through Beston little did you know he's just a friend and not my right hand man." Ikav said. "You should have come at me from my brother Yvan who is my true right hand man."

"Yvan?" she asked and she smiled, she had her suspicions before but they had just been confirmed.

"Yvan." He said with a smile. "I was first worried when I heard the great Black Widow was on my tail, now though…" He turned to her. "I see you are just like any other young woman, careless, stupid, and vacant."

_He's going to pay for that remark._

"Boss…" He turned to see two of his men dragging in another.

"An unexpected guest." Ikav said. Natalia peered around the muscular man before her eyes set upon a familiar face.

_Hawkeye… _She showed no emotion as she sat back in her chair.

"You really shouldn't have brought my bow and arrow with you." Clint muttered as he was chained to a chair beside Natalia.

"Why is that?" Ikav asked him with a crooked toothed smile.

"Because I'll use them to kill you before the nights end." He said and Natalia tried not to smirk.

"You two working together?" Ikav asked looking from Clint to Natalia.

"I've never seen him before in my life." Ikav slammed his fist across Clints face and she sighed obviously bored.

"No reaction…" He said. "Then you must be that separate tail who has been following me."

"That'd be me." Clint said with a smile and a nod before spitting blood on Ikavs shoe who in return punched him.

"You be quiet now, you're interrogation will come next…" Ikav moved in front of Natalia. "Soo… You will tell me who you work for my pretty little pet."

"You think I am pretty?" She asked and Clint looked to her a little surprised.

_Why do they always mention my looks? It's gross I'm like thirty years his junior. _Natalia thought.

"I do…" he said kneeling before her. "But if you don't start talking." He pulled out a knife and put it to her cheek. "I will make you not so pretty…" her jaw clenched as he dragged the blade down her face light enough that it wouldn't cut the skin. "Who do you work for?"

"I told you I work for myself…" she said and hissed as his knife nicked her neck.

"Don't play word games with me."

"Then ask the right questions." The blade dragged down between her breasts and he nicked her once more.

"Do not get cute with me young lady." He said with a clenched jaw.

"Oh but it's so hard to when you're being so very stupid." She said and Clint smiled.

"I will have your teeth for that remark, fetch the pliers!" he yelled over his shoulder and his henchman turned and tilted his head. "I said give me the plyers…" he said his eyes glaring into Natalia.

"They're aren't here." His henchman said.

"Looking for these?" Natalia asked holding up a pair of pliers before slamming them down across the face of Ikav.

"Boss!" one of the henchman pulled his gun and Natalia threw the pliers, the tool slammed into his face as she took his gun away and shot him in the head. Clint watched as she turned in a tight circle and with expert precision killed six men in one very fluid deadly motion. She then pointed the weapon at Ikav who had stood and pulled his own weapon.

"Your gun is out of bullets pretty pet."

"Got another." She said pulling one from behind her and shooting him in the head. She quickly rushed forward and moved behind Clint.

"That was some fancy shooting." He said.

"Thank you." She muttered as she grabbed Ikavs knife and cut the ropes free. Clint stood and stretched before turning around and seeing Natalia nowhere in sight. His eyes slowly looked down to see a small puddle of blood behind his chair. He looked down at his hands to see they were unscathed and quickly realized it wasn't his. He grabbed his bow and arrow before he quickly followed the blood trail. He pulled out his cellphone as he made it to the street. He waited for the dial tone before the scrambler kicked in and Coulson answered.

"_Barton what the hell happened?" _

"Chill everything is fine the target is taken out and I feel like celebrating… Tell me what's the most expensive hotel in this god forsaken place?"

"Got a hot date?"

"Maybe."

"It's the plaza."

"Thanks." He hung up the phone before quickly hailing a cab.

-o-

Natalia hissed in pain as she dug at a slug in her hip. The pain was blinding. It caused her ears to ring, her jaw to clench, and her teeth to grind. She had never been shot before and she could now say definitively that it sucked. She cried out in pain as her extractor dug against her hip bone.

"Christ!" she threw the extractor across the bathroom where it slammed against the tile breaking it in two. "Fucking… Just… fuck… Christ… hell…"

"That doesn't look so good." She pulled a gun and with a shaking hand pointed it at Clint who stood in the doorway.

"It is not good." She said her hand shaking. "What do you want?"

"I'd like to help you." He said with an earnest expression.

"Get out." she said the pain building and building with every second that went by.

"You've never been shot before?" he asked.

"Sure I have." she said lying through her teeth and he quirked an eyebrow at her. "Fine…" she sighed. "First time, and it sucks by the way."

"Which explains why you don't know that you can't do a patch job yourself on a bullet wound. You need a hospital kid."

"Ikav controlled the hospitals everyone knew I was after him except for you which tells me how bad your Intel is." She said putting the gun down as she winced in pain. "I can't go anywhere for help I have to dig it out myself…" She said grabbing another pair of sterile extractors.

"Natalia." He said stopping her before she could dig at herself anymore and do further damage.

"Stop calling me that." She said quickly as sweat poured down her face.

"Stop calling you what? Your name?" he asked and she just glared. She was growing paler by the minute and there was blood everywhere.

"What should I do?" She asked.

"Take the job I offered and get the best medical help you can have right away." He said. "We have a jet that can get us to the medical centers in less than an hour."

"I cannot." She said cringing the pain was becoming unbearable, she knew any second she would pass out. After that, she knew death would follow, and she wondered if that would be such a bad thing.

"What are you scared of?" he asked.

"Not being free." She said.

"Please…" she looked to him. "Trust me… Take the job offer."

"Trust you? I don't even know your name." She said softly.

"It's Clint… Clint Barton…" She laughed softly as she laid back starting to feel feint.

"That's so… American." He smiled as he looked down at the syringe that he had stuck in her arm.

"You'll join the team?"

"It's that or die…" she said softly her eyes closing as she slipped away into darkness. He pulled out a phone and waited.

"_What is it now need the name of the nearest flower shop?" _

"I need a jet at the plaza now. I have the black widow she's hurt and she's a new recruit."

"_I'll be right there."_

He picked Natalia up in his arms before carrying her away blood smearing against him as he did. She was hurt and he wondered if she would make it the half and hour they needed to get her medical attention. She had already lost a ton of blood. He rushed up the stairs of the hotel before making it onto the roof. A few minutes later a jet flew down close and the back opened up with a ramp. Clint quickly ran up it Natalia held in his arms.

"How bad is she?" Coulson asked as he came into view and the back of the jet closed up.

"She's got a slug in her hip that she's been digging at for at least an hour… she's also lost a ton of blood…" He set her down on a gurney and strapped her in for safety. Clint looked over her pale face as he slowly pushed a strand of her red hair out of her eyes.

"You know… She doesn't look all that deadly…" Coulson said.

"But she is." Clint said as he sat down at her side. "She very much is…"

"She's kind of… Delicate looking…" Coulson said.

"I think she'd kill you if she'd heard you say that."

-o-

Natalia took a deep breath. Her body felt heavy, her eyes heavier. It was like lead had been taped to them so she couldn't open her eyes. Her fingers twitched along with her toes and she felt herself begin to regain her awareness as she took more deep breaths. She tried to raise her hands to rub the sleep from her eyes but found them secure. Her breath hitched in her throat and her eyes slowly opened to stare down at leather straps wrapped around her wrists. Her jaw clenched and her anger flew.

"Calm down Miss Romanov." Her eyes rested on a tall lengthy black man with an eye patch standing at the foot of her bed.

"You have a presence to you…" She said.

"Do I?" She looked off and Fury got the feeling she had just sized him up from his simple reaction. Little did Fury know how very right he was.

"Where am I?"

"Calm down…" She turned her eyes on him and he resisted the urge to take a giant step back. Natalia smirked instantly telling him she knew he instinct to retreat.

"You'll tell me where I am or things will get very bloody in here."

"You are at the center for the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division." She sighed heavily while looking off.

"That's a really long name." she muttered her eyes closing for a moment. Everything was hazy and she couldn't remember how she got where she got.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Hawkeye… I set him loose…" she said. "No now I remember him helping me… I took the job."

"Who says I'm giving you the job." He said and she laughed softly before looking to him.

"If you weren't giving me the job you would have killed me by now let's not play games." Clint smiled from the corner of the room.

"You are a dangerous young lady Miss Romanov." Fury said.

"Thank you." She said with a sweet smile.

"Thank you?" he asked.

"I take that as a very big compliment." She ran her hands through her wavy red hair as she sat up. Fury jumped back realizing her hands were no longer secure and she was completely free to do whatever she pleased. When Natalia opened her eyes she smiled to see every gun in the room was pointed right at her. That was except for Clint who was still calmly standing in the corner, a smirk set into place.

"It's your own fault for thinking leather straps would keep me still… Don't worry I'm not going anywhere." She said setting her hands in her lap and Director Fury motioned to the men to stand down. "I expect you have questions for me Director."

"I do." He said. "The first one is how are you feeling?" the question made her tilt her head as she watched him sit down across from her in a chair.

"How am I feeling?" she asked carefully.

"You were shot, had to have surgery to dig those slugs out of your hip… You've been out for five days. So how do you feel?" She looked to Clint and then back to Fury.

"Is this a test?" Clint stood up straight.

"Let me rephrase…" Fury said. "Are you in any pain from your surgery?" Her hand went to her hip and pushed in.

"There's no pain."

"That's good." He said with a smile. "You won't be a hundred percent mind you…not until after your physical therapy starts."

"Physical therapy?" She asked. "Is that code…"

"Code?"

"For conditioning." She said.

"Conditioning?" he asked. "We don't do that here… I mean actual Physical Therapy… All agents go through it after an injury such as yours… Clint had to as well when you shot him."

"That's right pay back time." She looked to see he was walking towards her. She suppressed a smile as she looked back to Fury.

"He asked me to shoot him."

"He did?" Fury asked looking to Clint.

"Was that not in my report?" he asked.

"No… It wasn't." Fury said his jaw clenching.

"Oh well…" he sat down beside Natalia on the bed. "My bad."

"So I'm an agent now?" She asked in a confused tone.

"Yes your paper work is just going through…" He said. "But there are things we need to know like who you worked for before you went Solo."

"I do not know the organizations name I do not even know where they were stationed all I knew is that I got calls from them telling me what to do and where to be… Then if I failed to complete a task in the middle of the night men would come and take me away to a place I did not know for punishment."

"How long have you been at this?" Fury asked as he looked over the younger woman.

"My conditioning started when I was quite young around five." She said.

"That's early." Clint said quietly.

"I was young when they hand picked me."

"What made you so special?" Fury asked.

"My father." She said.

"Who is your father?"

"I don't remember." she said.

"Now that is a lie." Fury said.

"I really don't I was conditioned to have no family but the generals treated me special said it was because of my father but they never spoke his name… If you could help me figure out where I come from I would appreciate it."

"Oh we're trying but your life doesn't seem to start until your twelve when you started your gig as an assassin." Fury said. "What's your kill count Miss Romanov?"

"Since I started or before in conditioning as well?"

"How many people have you killed?" he asked.

"Two three three."

"Two three three?" Clint asked making her look to him. "Like two hundred and thirty three?"

"Yes." She said.

"I've only killed…" his voice trailed off.

"How many?" Natalia asked.

"Never mind." He said quickly looking off and she smiled softly and Fury tilted his head.

"Miss Romonov I want to extend something to you… An offer." She looked to him. "You are only sixteen."

"Seventeen." She and Clint said at the same time.

"Fine seventeen… In our country you're not even an adult." He said and she shrugged.

"So?"

"So… I offer you the chance to start over. We'll give you a new identity, send you to the top schools, and you get to keep all the perks you have as an agent without the dirty work."

"Director Fury…" She smiled sweetly. "I like the dirty work."

"Right then… I'll have your papers drawn up… She's your responsibility now Barton…" He stood and walked from the room leaving her and Clint alone.

"Yours?" she asked.

"We're partners now." He said and she slowly nodded before she looked down at herself to see she was in lavender pajama pants and a t shirt. It seemed one of the doctors had changed her. "Don't' worry new gear for you is being set up." Clint said and she nodded before looking around. "You had a real chance to get out of this kind of life you know…"

"I like the adventure of this kind of life…" she said quietly before looking to him. "Thank you… by the way."

"It was nothing… I mean I'm just your savior… I just made sure your life was extended a great deal." She nudged him harshly and he laughed.

"Nose down…" she muttered. "But seriously…" he looked to her. "Thanks…"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure we're partners now after all…"

"How long had you been following me after our showdown in Paris?" She smiled and looked off.

"Oh… Not… That long… Though you can thank me for taking out the sniped that nearly got you in Bangladesh." She said and he laughed.

"Guess we're even then you saved my life I saved yours…"

"Guess so…" She said with a shrug as the door to the room opened and a man came waltzing in.

"Hello there." He said walking up to her and extending his hand. "I'm Phil Coulson…" She slowly shook his hand and Clint realized just how much she didn't trust people.

"Nice to meet you…" She said with a blank expression.

"I hear from Barton that you don't like to be called Natalia?"

"Because it is not my name…" she muttered.

"Then what should I call you?"

"Why don't we stick to Romanov?"

"Alrighty then Agent Romanov why don't you let Clint show you to your apartment here…" He said before heading off.

"Here." He handed her a cane and she looked at it with a scrunched nose. "Yeah I didn't think you'd go for it." she hopped off the bed with agility he didn't expect and she slipped her feet into white fuzzy slippers. They walked together in silence through metal hallways with cold marble floors.

"Here's my room." He said pointing to a door. "And there is yours." He said pointing across the way to another door. "You open it with your palm print which was taken from you after surgery." She slowly set her hand on a pad and the door opened up. She tilted her head to see cozy large living quarters.

"These are temporary, our permanent homes are being built." He said and she turned. "Well it's late I'm going to hit the hay. Night Agent Romanov."

"Barton?" she asked and he turned as his own door opened. "It's Natasha… My name is Natasha… Your intel really was very wrong…" he looked at her for a moment before smiling.

"Good night Natasha…"

"Good night Barton."

"Oh Natasha?" he asked and she turned just inside her doorway. "It's Clint." She smiled softly before nodding and heading into her room where the door closed. "Natasha… Nice name…" he said before walking into his own apartment.

-o-

Natasha heard a knock on the door and turned away from her mirror before her eyes flickered to the clock. It was early but she expected an early visit. She checked herself over once more before walking to the door in her new clothes from the agency she was now a part of. She was wearing skinny jeans with high top black converse. She wore a white long sleeved shirt with a black vest over the top of it. She opened the door to look at Clint who was smiling.

"Mornin." He said with a smile, a cup of coffee in hand.

"Good morning." She said.

"You have physical therapy."

"Seriously?" she asked. "I feel fine." She said.

"It's required come on they've got workout clothes in the gym area for us."

"I'll work out but do I really need physical therapy?" she asked as she closed her door and followed him.

"It took five hours for them to dig the fragments of the bullet from your hip so yeah I'd say yes."

"We can skip this I really do feel fine…"

"It's for your own good… You want to be a hundred percent don't you?"

"I feel a hundred percent."

"You won't when you start to exert yourself. Remember you've never been shot before you don't know what it feels like afterwards the damage a tiny bullet can do to your muscles." She said something in Russian under her breath and he smiled. "Yes I know it's bullshit but you still have to do it." he said.

"You speak Russian?" she asked perking up.

"No I guessed." He said with a smile and she laughed.

"Oh…" When they got to the gym area Natasha stopped seeing Coulson standing beside a tall bulky man.

"Agent Romanov this is Dr. Jack Bielson your physical therapist."

"Nice to meet you Dr. Bielson." She said.

"Just call me Jack." He said. "The lady's changing rooms are in there built just for you seeing as you are the only female agent we have and your workout clothes are in there as well."

"Alright." She said heading into the training rooms.

"She's so young." Jack said to Coulson who nodded.

"Seventeen…"

"You said she's been at this how long?"

"Her conditioning started at five." He said.

"Her body could have more damage done to it then we know… You took full X rays of her when she came in?" Jack asked.

"That's right." Coulson said.

"I'd like to see them I'd also like the tests from her bone density scan on her."

"I'll get them up here straight away." Coulson said walking past Clint who headed out of the changing rooms in grey sweat pants and a white t shirt. He walked to the tread mill and started it up. Normally he never hit the treadmill, but it was the closest work out equipment to the physical therapy area and he wanted to keep an eye on Natasha. Not because he didn't trust her but because he was worried about her.

-o-

Clint sat on the bench as he did his lifting. He was watching as Natasha neared the end of her three hours of physical therapy. She hadn't winced once. She was taking it like a champ but he could tell she was uncomfortable by the sweat on her brow due to the 200 pound weights she was lifting with her legs.

"Alright that's it for today I should think." Jack said and she slowly sat up straight. "How do you feel?"

"I hate you." She said and Jack laughed before holding up a lollipop. "I'm seventeen not seven." She said slapping the candy out of his hand and Clint couldn't help but laugh along with Jack. She got up and headed off not so much as limping as she did.

"Wait I have some things I need to give you." He said and she stopped turning to him as Clint walked over.

"Calling it a day?" she asked him and he nodded.

"Alright so I have the X rays from when you came in and your bone density test… Your bone density is way lower than it should be for your age." He said. "Probably caused by mal nutrition."

"I eat just fine." She said shifting on her feet.

"Really, what's your usual dinner?"

"Pizza." She said and Clint laughed at her showing her true age. "It hits all the major food groups." She said. "You know bread, dairy, veggies." She pointed at Jack. "I'm not changing my diet."

"You don't need to your of a healthy weight you just need to start taking vitamins."

"Ewe…" she muttered and Jack smiled as he handed her a small plastic basket full of vitamins.

"I also want you to start taking it easy in the field you've had way too many broken bones for your age."

"That wasn't from in the field." She said with a simple shrug.

"What was it from?" Jack asked.

"My conditioning…" She muttered before walking to the changing rooms.

"Her conditioning?" Jack asked Clint.

"The training she went through when she was a child before she became an assassin."

"Jesus…" Jack said and Clint nodded. "But…" Clint looked to him. "Every single one of her bones has been broken… What kind of conditioning is that?"

"I don't know…" Clint said as he looked to the door of the woman's changing room for a long moment.

Natasha set the basket of vitamins down on a bench while turning the shower onto full blast as soon as the noise as loud enough from the water she let out a small noise of pain and collapsed to the ground. Her knees pulled to her chest as she shook in agony. Nothing she had ever gone through in the field had been as bad as what she had gone through during that physical therapy session.

"Breathe." She coached herself. "Breathe…" which each breath she took, she slowly stood and let the hot water flow over her body allowing the heat to soothe her aching muscles. When the water shut off she walked to the mirror and avoided her reflection as she slowly pulled on a fresh change of clothes. When Natasha came out of the changing room she was surprised to find Clint waiting.

"If I knew you were waiting I would have hurried."

"You didn't take too long." He said with a smile. "You want to get something to eat I'm starving." He said.

"Sure." She said with a shrug. "Is there a cafeteria?"

"Oh no we're going off base."

"Off base?" she asked stopping and he looked to her. "We're allowed?"

"I told you we can do most anything we want." He said with a smile before continuing to walk away. "Come on kid."

"Don't call me kid."

"But I like how red your face gets." He said and she couldn't help but smile.

-o-

Clint smiled as he looked up from his menu at Natasha who was looking all around the bar. Her eyes caught his and she smiled before looking down at her menu.

"So… What looks good to you?" He asked.

"I think I'm going to go for the corn beef sandwich."

"It's a good choice, I mean it's pretty good." He said with a nod. "I think I'll do that too." He put his menu down and silence settled over them once more. The bar wasn't busy so it wasn't loud. It wasn't like they couldn't hold a conversation but it felt like they couldn't start one. "You haven't been to many bars have you?"

"I've been to too many." She said. "I'm sorry if I seem awkward." He shrugged. "Normally when I'm sitting across from the table from a man he's thinking of how quickly he can get into my pants and I'm thinking how quickly I can snap his neck." He slowly nodded before laughing. She found his laugh cut the tension and instantly she smiled. "Sorry. I'm sometimes very blunt."

"No you say what's on your mind it's a good trait." He said. "I'm also glad you're not thinking of snapping my neck so that's good as well." She smiled softly and looked off. She had a hard exterior but whenever she smiled there was a softness that came over her.

"Have you been to Russia Clint?" She asked looking to him.

"Many times." He said.

"There's a bar there that's called the America.… It's this underground place, it prides itself in being authentic in how American it is… I, truthfully, have never been to an American bar before."

"So how does it stack up to the America bar in Russia?"

"Not so good." He laughed.

"Just remember you can't order a drink here you're not legal when it comes to alcohol."

"I don't drink ever so it's okay." She said with a shrug as the waiter came over.

"Hey I'm Billy I'll be your waiter what can I get for you?"

"I'll have the corn beef sandwich as is with a side of sauce and make it sloppy." Clint said.

"Sloppy?" Natasha asked with a smile.

"It means they lay the sauce on thick." He said.

"Oh I'll have the same." She said.

"Sloppy?" The waiter asked.

"Yes." She said.

"And to drink?" The waiter inquired.

"The arrogant bastard ale for me."

"Fitting." Natasha said with a small smile and Clint laughed. "I'll have the sweet tea."

"Good choice I'll bring that out." he said before heading off. Silence settled over them and Clint looked off before looking to the woman sitting across from him.

"Soo Natasha."

"Soo Clint…" She mimicked and he smiled.

"Tell me about yourself." He said simple.

"You already know pretty much everything from my file." She said.

"The file doesn't tell me about your interests what you like to do. And as you've said many times my intel was wrong about you, I mean it even got your name wrong… So… Tell me about yourself…" He said settling back in his chair.

"I don't know how to respond." He tilted his head.

"What do you like?" She shifted in her seat and he smiled. "This isn't a test Natasha we're just having a conversation." She looked off.

"I don't… Really have conversations with people…"

"Well now you're having one."

"Maybe you could ask direct questions and I could answer them." She said. "We could do it back and forth like that question thing they do on that American television program. You know with the actors and the balding man." He laughed as her accent slipped out at her excitement.

"Inside the actors studio?" He inquired.

"Dah that's one." She said.

"First off remember you're an American now. So it's not Dah it's yes." He said. "You're sounding quite red at the moment."

"Oh…" She sat back in her chair covering her mouth. "Sorry…" She said a blush evident.

"No it was hysterical but if Fury catches you who knows how he'll go off." He said with a smile and she nodded. "Okay so questions… What are those questions?"

"We can make up our own." She offered.

"Okay hey I got one… Favorite color."

"Black." She said.

"Black is not a color it's a shade."

"Well it's a shade that looks good on me." She said and he laughed. "Your favorite color?"

"Green." He said. "Favorite Movie?"

"Philadelphia story." And he laughed. "What?"

"That's an old movie."

"Still a movie what's yours?"

"Any Stallone film."

"So you're into action?" she asked.

"Clearly." She laughed and he smiled at how easy their conversation had become.

"What's your favorite word?" he asked.

"Favorite word…" she said thinking out loud. "Bini."

"Bini?" he asked. "As in the hat?" she nodded and he laughed.

"It's a funny word." She said. "What's your favorite word?"

"Arrow."

"Fitting." She said and he nodded.

"I thought so… Favorite book?"

"A home at the end of the world by Michael Cunningham."

"I've never read it."

"It's good. What's yours?"

"I don't really read… But I read Sherlock Holmes when I was younger and liked it." she smiled.

"Oh what's your least favorite word?"

"Chaos." She said and he nodded. "Yours?"

"Failure." He said and it was her turn to nod. "What sound do you love?"

"The sound of Rain against a metal roof." She said. "What sound do you love?"

"The sound of an arrow flying through the air." She smiled. "What sound do you hate?"

"Screeching tires. What sound do you hate?"

"Screeching anything." She smiled. "What turns you on?" She looked up in thought before smiling.

"Freedom." He smiled. "What turns you on?"

"Boobs." She laughed so loud she had to cover her mouth and it made him smile.

"Clint!"

"Oh okay… It's actually big boobs." She laughed again as their drinks were set down. "Like they might be a tumors big." She laughed more kicking her feet slightly.

"That's awful." He smiled.

"Okay really?" he asked. "What really turns me on?"

"Yes." She said.

"Other than boobs?" She laughed.

"Yes."

"The sight of back dimples on a fine attractive woman… Sounds strange but it turns me on every time."

"So we're we talking turn on in a sexual way I just thought in a way that makes us happy."

"I was talking in a sexual manner." He said taking a sip of beer.

"Well then I want to re answer." She said.

"By all means. What turns you on?"

"What turns me on…" she looked up in thought before smiling and looking to him. "Shoulders."

"Okay what?" he asked.

"I Like good strong shoulders. That back muscle on the shoulders I love that… Sometimes in the field if I was with a guy with a good pair of shoulders I'd think awe… I wish I didn't have to snap his neck and cut him up into tiny pieces he's got such good shoulders." Clint laughed and she smiled brightly.

"Well you know… Archery it… it builds the shoulder muscles-." He laughed as she threw a piece of her napkin at him.

"What turns you on in a non sexual way?" she asked. "Like in a happy way?"

"Mmm…" he looked up in thought. "Watching a girl smile. That makes me happy." She smiled and he laughed. "There you go you just made me static." She laughed and he smiled. "If you could do anything else in the world what would you do?" he inquired.

"Nothing else." She said.

"Oh come on."

"No I'm really very content…"

"If you had to choose."

"If I had to choose?" he nodded. "Maybe… A writer I don't know." She said shrugging. "But I'd probably write about what I do now. What about you?"

"Football coach."

"Doesn't suit you."

"What do you mean it doesn't suit me?"

"It's such a boring job you strike me more as a lion tamer and oh I take back my last answer I'd be one of those trapeze women."

"Oh you'd be good at that. I'd be a lion tamer you'd be a trapeze star and we'd rule the circus circuit." They locked eyes before bursting out into laughter. "Oh I have a good one." He said. "What's your favorite food?"

"Pizza." She said with a smile. "What's yours?"

"A cheese burger." He said.

"I've never had one of those." She froze seeing his expression.

"You've never had a cheeseburger?" he asked his voice dead in tone, his eyes locked with hers.

"No." she said with a shrug.

"Not ever?"

"No." she said with a laugh.

"That's not funny that's just sad." He threw some money on the table and got up before taking her hand.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you for your first cheeseburger." He said.

"But we've already ordered food why not just switch it here."

"If you're going to try your first cheese burger it's going to be from the best joint in town." He said and she couldn't help but smile as the driver pulled up and they got into the back of a black Sudan. "The joint Boxie." He said to the driver.

"The joint." He said before driving off.

-o-

AN: Anyone reading this?


End file.
